The Lotus F1 Team debuted at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix with the new E20 chassis which was designed and manufactured at the team's Oxfordshire based technical facility. On the 28th January 2013 Lotus launched their new car the E21 and the new car performed well at the Jerez testing sessions in Spain. The chassis is made from carbon fibre and aluminium making it strong but also light in weight - including driver, cameras and ballast the E21 weighs only 642kg. The car is powered by a Renault RS27-2013 engine, a 2.4 litre V8 with a displacement of 2400cc and power output of 750 bhp.
Romain Grosjean's first involvement with Formula 1 was in 2009 when he drove as a test and race driver for the Renault F1 Team. Between 2010 and 2011 he worked his way through several racing series including GP2 before returning to F1 in 2012. Romain has lived most of his life in Switzerland where he was born but races under a French nationality. On the 9th December 2011 it was announced that Romain would partner Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus Formula 1 Team for the 2012 season, marking Romain's return to the sport. In his first season for the team Romain finished in 8th position in the Drivers' Championship and together with his team mate Kimi they earned the team 4th spot in the FIA Formula 1 World Constructors' Championship.